


Just A Taste Of Things To Come

by EnbyStiles



Series: Sweet Dreams In A World Of Nightmares [1]
Category: Fear the Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dungeons & Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Anal Sex, Biting, Blood, Blow Jobs, Clerics, Druids, Elements of D&D, Fighters, First Meetings, Flirting, Getting Together, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Jeremiah Otto's A+ Parenting, Kissing, M/M, Madison Clarks A+ parenting, Magic, Misunderstandings, Paladins, Pre-Slash, Running Away, Snark, Sort Of, Teasing, Then smut, They both suck, for one whole chapter, inappropriate use of magic, mocking of clerics and paladins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:14:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25012999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnbyStiles/pseuds/EnbyStiles
Summary: Troy aspires to leave the ranch one day and be a Fighter for hire. He's decent with a sword, and he's even head of the little militia his father put together. But he wants more than that.Jake leaves to become a Paladin, meaning Troy has to pick up the slack where his big brother left off. That includes selling things at market for the ranch once a month.While on his first trading trip Troy meets a Druid-in-training named Nick and everything changes.
Relationships: Nick Clark/Troy Otto
Series: Sweet Dreams In A World Of Nightmares [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1811068
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	1. First Meetings

**Author's Note:**

> So, a while back I wrote a fic called Torn in Two based on a nightmare I had. This is a prequel to that and it goes up to the point where Nick and Troy find themselves in that story.  
> So, please enjoy this d&d style fantasy story with our favorite children of violence <3

Troy hates trade runs. He would much rather be back on the ranch practicing with the small militia his father has started to put together. This used to be Jake’s job. One he was good at. But nooo, Jake had to leave to become a fucking Paladin. Leaving Troy to pick up the slack. 

That means loading up everything ready to be sold and take it to the nearby village, where he has to run a fucking stall at the market for the next week. He has absolutely no interest in that. But if he doesn’t nobody else will and he does not want to piss off his father. Jeremiah may be retired, but he can knock a man twice his size on their ass with a single punch. You do not want to cross him unless you’re up for only seeing out of one eye for the next week. 

He’ll take a week of boredom over a week of pain. Most of the time, anyway.

He leaves well before dawn, getting to the market with just enough time to set up the table and baskets before the first shoppers come out.

Trading and selling meat and produce has to be one of the most boring things Troy has ever been forced to do in his life. And that’s saying something with how boring farming itself can be. But at least while he’s doing that he can talk to the other farmers his father has living on the ranch and plan out drills with members of the militia. The other merchants only want to talk trade. Troy would rather shoot himself in the foot with a crossbow bolt…

A loud argument erupts a few spaces away from Troy’s that catches his attention around midday. He walks over, like many others, curious to see what the fuss is about in an otherwise dull setting.

There’s a young man, maybe a few years younger than him, with greasy brown hair and almond tan skin. There’s a fire in his brown eyes as he argues, shaking a handful of papers at what appears to be a member of the town guard that patrols the area.

“I have permission to sell these! They’re medicinal!” he insists, gesturing to his table with his free hand. There are bundles of herbs, jar’s full of dried... who knows what the hell that stuff is. And baskets of mushrooms and flowers that Troy thinks have to be grown with magic because those are definitely out of season.

“Mr. Clark, I spoke to the merchants guild  _ and _ the town magistrate. They all agreed no one, aside from Clerics and Druids, are permitted to sell hallucinogenic or mind-altering substances at the market,” the guard explains in a surprisingly calm tone despite the clear annoyance on his face and the way he’d had it raise only a moment ago. “Seeing as you are neither-”

“I’m a Druid!” the supposed Druid, Nick, shouts while throwing the handful of papers in the air. “I started my studies last week!”

The guard’s face grows a bit red, from anger or embarrassment at the scene is anyone’s guess. “Oh, have you now? Then please, show me what proof you have to back that claim?”

Nick looks panicked as he flounders and digs through the pockets of his cloak. “I, uh-... I mean…” he stammers as he searches in vain for some kind of proof to back his claim. “I swear I had my signet on when I left this morning…” he mumbles as he spins in a circle and keeps searching.

The guard indulges him a minute before sighing and taking off his helmet, revealing a head of short cut graying blonde hair and tired features. He gets Nick to look him in the eyes before he speaks again. “Look, Nick, I want to believe you here. You were always a good kid,” the older man says. “Why don’t you pack it in for the day and come back tomorrow with everything in order?”

Nick, to his credit, looks ready to argue once again, but holds back and simply nods with a huff and scowl before turning to pick up his discarded papers on the ground.

The guard walks away after that and the handful of other onlookers follow suit now that the excitement is over, leaving Troy standing there alone watching this Nick guy pick up papers and bitch under his breath about how bullshit it is that he has to prove he’s a Druid to sell shit from his garden.

Nick notices Troy watching him out of the corner of his eye after a moment and turns his head to glare at the other man from his place kneeling on the ground a few feet away. “What are you looking at?” he demands.

Taken aback, Troy blinks owlishly a moment before grinning at the other man. “Nothing. Just don’t see someone pick a fight with a guard over mushrooms every day.”

Snorting, Nick picks up the last of his papers and stands up. He looks Troy up and down appraisingly as he shuffles the papers in his hand back into some kind of order. 

Troy looks him over much the same, now that he can get a clear look at the guy he can definitely get the Druid vibe from him. One of the ranch hands is an old druid. They dress kind of the same. Both wearing kind of ratty looking brown robes. Though Nick wears a pair of dark cotton trousers that actually look like they fit him. The shirt makes him look a bit like an old man, though. Baggy and tan in color.

Not that Troy looks much better. He worse his militia training gear to town. Just in case he ran into any trouble on the long road in. Leather trousers for extra protection, and a fitted button-up shirt with a thick vest on over that, also made of leather, though it’s softer and a shade shy of black where his pants are a deep brown. It’s the closest he has to armor for now. His father won’t let him use his old adventuring gear, so he has to improvise until he has enough money saved for gear of his own.

“You’re new,” Nick finally says after a moment of the two silently staring each other down.

“You’re perceptive for someone that smells so strongly of weed,” Troy retorts with a smirk. Because, yeah, he can totally smell the stuff on the guy, even from six feet away. It’s stronger than the flowers on the table behind him for sure.

That makes the younger man bark a laugh before he shakes his head and crosses his arms over his chest. “Look, man, I need to pack up my shit, so...” Is all he says before turning away to start moving things onto the small cart he must have used to bring them to the market in the first place.

Snorting, Troy turns and wanders back to his stand. Jake had told him nothing interesting ever happens on trade runs. He was totally wrong. And Troy has a few days worth of supplies to sell still, meaning he gets to see what happens tomorrow when this Nick guy will undoubtedly come back and that guard comes asking for his credentials again.

The rest of the day is filled with boredom and a handful of trades. Troy finds his gaze randomly wandering to the empty stall the Druid left every once in a while. 

~~~~

The next morning Troy arrives at sunrise to set up his stand. It’s a bit chilly out, and he wonders if that’ll be bad for business for a moment before snorting and starting to place baskets of vegetables on the ground in a way that makes them easy to walk around to get to other things.. 

It’s pretty obvious when Nick arrives in the marketplace. There’s a burst of not so quiet whispers among the other merchants that’s hard to ignore. 

“You all know I can hear you, right?” Nick’s voice cuts through the chatter loudly. “I’m glad you all thought yesterday was so fascinating, but I’m not a bard and I’m definitely not here to entertain you. So mind your own business.”

Troy has to chuckle at the sheer annoyance in the other man’s voice. He sounds like he’s in a bad mood, to say the least.

Looking up, he can see Nick going about setting up his stand much as he had it the day before. Only this time he has some piece of parchment nailed to a board that he sets in the middle of his single table.

Curiosity gets the better of him and Troy abandons his half set-up stand to go take a look.

Nick’s back is to him, so he doesn’t notice Troy walk up close enough to get a good look at the contents of his table.

The paper that’s been nailed to the board on Nick’s table is signed by someone named Celia from a neighboring village. It reads that Nick has been accepted to train as a Druid under her and her fellow Druids and that he met with her last week to begin his training.

Before he can be noticed, Troy goes back to his stand a few spaces away to continue his work. Wondering what will happen when the guard returns later on. Troy doesn’t know really Much about Druids. Or magic at all, really. He just knows his father always said not to mess with it. He thinks now might be the time to do some reading and learn more.

It’s maybe an hour later, when the first traders come out, that the guard from the day before returns. Troy ends up wandering close enough to listen in on their conversation when he spots the guard approaching.

“This is legitimate?” The guard says as if he expects Nick to say that it’s really a counterfeit.

“Of course it is! I told you I started training last week.” The exasperated look Nick is giving the guard is kind of hilarious. He’s dressed much the same as the day before, only today a shiny silver pin in the shape of a twisting leaf is on his robe; the signet he mentioned the day before from the looks of it.

“I know, I know,” the guard says as he waves a dismissive hand. He appears to be reading the letter over again. “You know I have to confirm this,” he notes, earning a worried look from Nick. “But everything looks in order and I should have this back to you by the evening. You can sell your goods for now. Just know that if it turns out this is a forgery that I will have to arrest you.”

Nick, to his credit, doesn’t look too bothered by that. “Great. Thanks. Now could you get lost? You’re scaring away my customers,” he manages to say in a surprisingly light, joking tone, despite how uncomfortable he looks at the moment.

With one last look from the guard, he walks away, leaving Nick to sell his wares.

“I see you watching me, farm boy,” Nick calls out, addressing Troy without actually turning to look at him directly. “Something I can help you with or do you just have a thing for me?”

“Maybe I do,” Troy finds himself musing as he turns on his heel and heads back to his stand without waiting to see or hear Nick’s reaction.

He’s not sure why he did that… Or why his cheeks feel so warm all of a sudden for it. He doesn’t usually let on in any way that he’s interested in other men. His father would beat the living daylights out of him if he got wind. But there’s definitely something about this Nick he finds interesting. Enough so that he slipped up just now… He tries not to think about it.

Fortunately, an old woman walks up and distracts him, wanting to trade him some chickens for the rest of his carrots. He thinks it over a few minutes and declines. He doesn’t want to take care of them until he gets to head home. 

The rest of the day goes by slowly, and Troy catches himself glancing down the way to Nick’s stand more than a few times. And much to his annoyance (or embarrassment), Nick catches him looking more than a few times.

He can’t put his finger on why, but he finds the other man fascinating. There’s a way about him that Troy can’t place a name to. He moves almost like a fae at times. Relaxed and somehow graceful in the strangest of ways as he hands over goods. At one point a customer asks Nick a question and Troy swears there has to be magic involved when he holds up a jar and the contents seem to change in his hands.

Troy’s still thinking about him when he packs up for the night and heads back to the tavern he’s saying at. So much so that when he makes his way inside and sits down to order dinner he doesn’t notice he’s been followed inside from the streets.

He has his journal out. Scribbling notes on the day’s sales and his own thoughts. Thoughts that circle around brown eyes and the way Nick seemed to dance about the place when he explained the effects of his various herbs and fungi on the mind and body to his customers. 

Someone sits down opposite him at the table not long into his writing. He doesn’t look up, he simply pulls his journal a little closer on the table. It’s a busy tavern, people sit across from him every time he’s in here for a meal. 

“Huh, you have nice handwriting for a farm boy.” A familiar voice teases from far too close for comfort.

Looking up sharply, Troy finds himself face to face with the subject of his musings. The other man bites his lower lip as he smiles at Troy, and Troy finds himself momentarily mesmerized by the simple action before he meets Nick’s gaze.

“What are you doing here?” he asks as he carefully closes his journal and pulls it a bit closer to himself.

“Oh, you know. Just having dinner,” Nick says dismissively before turning to flag down the younger barmaid that’s bringing a tray of ale to another table.

She stops with a look of boredom on her face and impatience clear in her stance. “Yes?”

“I’ll have whatever he’s having to eat and two ale’s please,” Nick says sweetly, taking the girls free hand in his own loosely as he stares her in the eyes, unlike most men in the place that would stare at her breasts the whole time.

To Troy’s surprise, she actually giggles a little before taking her hand back and walking away. He’s barely seen her smile while he’s been here. And he’s pretty sure the times he’s eaten here on other trips she’s been much the same attitude-wise.

“You eat here often?” Troy asks as he watches the barmaid walk away with a lighter step than before.

“Only when there’s someone worth eating with,” Nick says a bit airily as he rests an elbow on the table and leans forward a bit, his chin resting on his raised fist. “So, what’s your name?”

Watching him a moment, Troy gives a little smirk. “Troy. Troy Otto,” he introduces.

“You’re related to Jake then?” Nick asks, surprise clear on his face.

Chuckling, Troy decides to put his journal away and give Nick his full attention. “Yeah, he’s my older brother,” Troy explains. Jake had never mentioned meeting anyone like Nick before, but clearly Nick knows or knows of, his brother.

“Please tell me you aren’t a wannabe Paladin, too. You seem way too interesting for all that bull,” Nick pleads as he shifts to sit a little further forward, leaning in to better hear Troy’s speak in the crowded tavern.

“Gods, no!” Troy balks with a bit more disgust than he means to. “I’d just as soon jump off a cliff. The whole pledging your undying devotion to a god and that whole righteousness jag isn’t for me.” He pauses, looking thoughtful a moment before adding. “I find chaos more to my liking. Jake hates it,” Troy tells him with a grin.

“Oh, thank god,” Nick says as his shoulders sag in relief. “Here I was worried I was flirting with you for nothing.” The look Nick gives Troy right then is one Troy doesn’t think he’s ever gotten from another man. Nick bites his lower lip again as he watches Troy’s reaction to the comment. He looks like Troy is far more interesting than the food the barmaid has set down in front of them just now. “Paladins are all too… Uptight.”

Troy feels a strange swooping sensation in his stomach. His breath catching a moment as he eyes Nick appraisingly. “Flirting? So that’s what you’re doing, hm?” he can’t help but tease back a bit. He got a vibe from Nick that felt like maybe interest before. But he wasn’t expecting him to be interested in a guy like Troy.

“I mean, I could be more forward if you like?” Nick says light with a small shrug as he raises the hand not currently holding up his head and reaches across the space between them. He carefully slips his fingers around Troy’s hand, making him turn it over so it lays palm up on the table. He starts tracing his fingertips along the lines there, eyes leaving Troy’s only long enough to glance down the paths his fingers follow.

A pleasant tingle starts at Troy’s hand and spreads slowly up his arm the longer Nick runs his fingers over Troy’s skin. It elicits a shiver from him that Nick doesn’t miss, his dark eyes following the faint tremble. 

“Forward is good,” Troy concedes, licking his lips then swallowing hard. They hold each other’s gaze a long moment before the barmaid returns with two glasses of ale, breaking the momentary spell that seemed to hold both men. 

Huffing a small laugh, Nick takes his hand back, much to Troy’s disappointment, and shakes his head a little. “Let’s eat. I wanna know more about you, farm boy, Troy.”


	2. Little Magic Tricks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Smut warning  
> This chapter is 90% smut with 10% plot hidden in the middle and end

Troy’s back hit’s the door moments before a warm body pressed against his and a pair of slightly chapped lips find his own. He leans into the kiss, just managing to push Nick’s robe to the floor before he’s push back again. He wraps his arms around the slightly smaller frame of the man that he just sat with for hours talking and nursing a pint of ale he only drank half of (he hates ale).

They’re in his room upstairs at the tavern. Eventually they god kicked out for taking up space on a busy night, so Nick suggested they go upstairs to continue their discussion. He had taken Troy’s hand in his, sending that faint tingle spreading up Troy’s arm again. He couldn’t say no when the opportunity was presented even if he had wanted to. It was just too tempting.

Which led to what’s happening now. Troy being pinned to his own door by someone he’s honestly not convinced is completely human from the way he talks and moves. He thinks he might be part fae or elf, but he remembers Jake saying it’s rude to ask about things like that, so he hasn’t despite his curiosity.

One of Nick’s hands finds its way up to tangle long fingers in his shaggy light brown hair. Troy lets out a small gasp as Nick gives his hair a tug to change the angle he holds his head at, and Nick takes advantage of Troy’s open mouth to let his tongue delve inside.

Troy honest to god moans into the kiss as Nick deepens it, a little spark of lightheadedness hitting him at the first brush of their tongues. Nick tastes a little like tobacco and ale. And beneath that, a hint of the berries he at after they finished having dinner. It’s sweet and bitter and totally intoxicating. He doesn’t think he could possibly ever get enough of it.

No, he definitely wants more. He pushes away from the door, making Nick walk back towards the bed just a few feet away. When they hit it, much to Troy’s disappointment, Nick breaks the kiss.

There’s an impish glint in Nick’s eyes as he starts to unbutton Troy’s vest. “Tell me something?”

“What’s that?” Troy asks, arms still loosely around Nick’s waist as he watches those nimble fingers make quick work of his vest and start on his shirt next.

“Ever think of running away?” Nick asks, expression still a touch mischievous but somehow serious at the same time. He leans in after he asks, lips finding Troy’s throat a moment later and starting to kiss and nip at the skin he exposes with every new button.

Shivering, Troy tries to focus on the question, which is difficult with Nick already reaching his abs and getting closer and closer to his belt every second. “Yeah. When I can get enough money for my own armor and sword, maybe,” he admits as he tangles one hand in Nick’s hair, and the other reaches to unhook his own belt.

Nick gives a little hum of appreciation at Troy’s help undressing him and looks up at him from where he now sits on the edge of Troy’s bed, his face mere inches from the bulge in Troy’s pants. He has his hands on Troy’s hips, thumbs drawing small circles in his skin just over the edge of his pants. “What if I was to make you an offer?”

Raising a brow in question, Troy waits for Nick to continue.

“I hate this town. It’s boring as all hell and nobody takes me seriously here. You said yourself that the ranch is dull and that you’d love a real adventure,” Nick begins, his hands moving to pull Troy’s pants down his hips slowly as he keeps his eyes locked with the other man’s. “So let’s go on an adventure together? We can both sell what we came to sell during the market, and after you bring everything you need home to the ranch, we meet up and take off. Just the two of us.”

“You’re seriously asking me this? Right now?” Troy can’t help but ask a little incredulously. He’s been asked some strange questions before and during sex. But nothing like this.

“Just think about it,” Nick says with a wink before he finally pulls Troy’s trousers down enough for his cock to spring free.

He opens his mouth to ask why Nick would even want him to tag along. He’s just a ranch hand that’s been training for a few months with a newly formed militia. He has no real experience fighting with anyone other than dummies and his buddies Mike, Blake, and Cooper.

Instead, he’s cut off by Nick wrapping a hand around his cock and stroking it a few times before licking a stripe up the underside of it. Troy’s breath hitches, the hand he has tangles in Nick’s hair tightening it’s grip a moment. And Nick just keeps looking up at him as he licks a bead of pre-cum from the tip of Troy’s cock before he wraps his lips around it and begins to suck.

Troy lets Nick have his fun for a minute, making Troy gasp and twitch under the ministrations of his wicked mouth before he pulls Nick off of him and pushes him down onto the bed. He scrambles to get his boots off and shed his trousers completely before climbing over Nick and kissing him deeply. His hands find their way to Nick’s sides, and he starts to pull his shirt up. Reveling in the feel of warm skin as it presses against his own with every new inch he unvails.

He doesn’t want to break the kiss, but he has to in order to get Nick out of his shirt, which mildly infuriates Troy. Fortunately, as soon as it’s off Nick reaches up and pulls Troy back down to kiss him once again.

There’s a flurry of hands and movement, and they manage to get Nick’s trousers and boots off, leaving them both completely naked together in Troy’s bed. 

Nick’s skin feels like it’s on fire against his own, and Troy has to touch every inch of it he can. Pulls him close so they’re pressed together with Nick’s legs wrapped around his waist to keep him from going anywhere. Their cocks rub against each other now and then, feeling good but not being nearly enough for either of them to be satisfied.

To Troy’s confusion, Nick breaks the kiss and actually pushes Troy back a bit so that he’s holding himself up on his hands above the other man. “Want to see a magic trick?” Nick asks with that impish glint in his eyes once again.

It takes Troy a moment to remember that Nick is training to be a Druid. He actually is learning magic. And if he’s bringing it up now of all times it must be something interesting. So he nodes, taking a moment to catch his breath a bit while he waits for Nick to does whatever he intends to do.

The grin on Nick’s face is one that Troy thinks he could get used to seeing.

He watches the druid hold up a hand, mumbling something under his breath as he does so. Before Troy knows what he’s doing, the same hand is wrapped around Troy’s cock and it is  _ slick  _ and _ warm,  _ much warmer than Nick’s hand had been when it was pulling at his hair a moment ago He lets out a gasp at the feeling. Because that was definitely not something he expected.

A little chuckle escapes Nick at Troy’s reaction and when he’s sure Troy’s cock is good and coated in the oil he summoned with the spell, he takes it away and wipes the excess on the bed. His other arm comes to wrap around Troy’s neck then, pulling him back down close enough for Nick to whisper in his ear.

“I want you to fuck me,” he says with a nip at Troy’s earlobe, making a shiver run down Troy’s spine.

Turning his head, Troy catches Nick’s lips with his own and licks his way into the other man’s mouth greedily. He only breaks the kiss when Nick wiggles his hips, reminding him there’s more to do than drown in the taste of him right now.

Troy has to break the kiss then, face buried in Nick’s neck, which he proceeds to kiss and suck on as he reaches down with one hand to line his cock up with Nick’s hole. He pushes into him slowly, the both of them moaning, Troy at how tight and hot Nick feels and Nick at the feeling of being stretched open as the sensitive skin at the base of his throat is assaulted with tongue and teeth.

His hand is smeared with the oil Nick summoned, and with a wicked little grin of his own Troy wraps it around Nick’s cock. He starts to stroke it slowly, keeping pace with the roll of his own hips. A slow, steady motion that gives them both a little time to adjust before they find their stride.

Nick is beautiful beneath him, rocking his hips to meet Troy’s thrusts as he arches, moans, and claws to keep Troy close to him. It’s difficult to hold back, but then Nick actually bites Troy’s lower lip hard when he leans in to kiss him again and Troy figures he doesn’t need to. He shifts how he holds himself up over Nick, changing the angle of his thrusts in a way that gets Nick’s cock leaking pre-cum in his hand, his head thrown back to expose the long column of his throat to Troy in a way that just begs to be bitten.

And he does bite it, dragging his teeth over Nick’s pulse point before finding the spot that makes his breath hitch. He bites down, hard enough to bruise but not break skin. It makes Nick’s body spasm and tighten around his cock. He mirrors the action on the other side of his neck, loving the low moan it earns him and the way that Nick writhes against him and digs his nails into his back.

He wants to do it again, but suddenly Nick’s hands leave their place on his back to pull Troy in by his face. He kisses him as best he can with the both of them gasping for breath and letting out little moans and curses mixed with the occasional utterance of the other’s name. It’s more tongue and teeth than lips but it’s still good.

Nick cums first. His body arching sharply against Troy’s as his hole clenches around Troy’s cock. Troy strokes him through it, does his best to keep his hips moving without faltering. He pulls back enough to watch the way his whole body goes from a taut line of muscles to a blissed-out, boneless mess with cum streaking his stomach and chest.

He hit’s his peak right as Nick’s ends, and he cums with a few stuttering thrusts and a strangled moan before collapsing on top of Nick from exhaustion.

They lay like that for what feels like ages. The two of them just catching their breath, Troy with his face in Nick’s throat while Nick has one hand in his hair and the other resting on his back. When Troy climbs off of Nick, it’s with a groan, mostly at the disappointment of needing to get up. He could have laid there all right if it weren’t for the desire to clean up.

Nick actually pouts at him and grabs Troy by his wrist when he goes to climb out of bed.

Troy stops, turning to look back with a look of confusion. “I’m just going to get a wet cloth,” he says as he points to the basin and towel over in the corner.

Snorting, Nick slides his hand up Troy’s arm, resting it on his chest a moment. He mutters something under his breath again, Troy isn’t sure the language, and with a strange tingling sensation Troy looks down to see himself completely cleaned off. Like he’d just taken a full bath. There isn’t even any dirt under his nails. He doesn’t remember the last time they didn’t have dirt under them.

“How the?” he mutters before looking to Nick, who now has a hand on his own chest and is muttering the same spell once again to clean himself now.

“It’s a simple spell…” Nick says with a little smirk and a shrug. “I don’t really know any powerful ones yet, but I have a few of the easy ones down at least.”

Laughing, Troy leans down and kisses Nick then, his hand finding it’s way to his cheek as he leans into him. They keep kissing for a while. Troy still not getting enough of the way Nick tastes and the feel of their bodies pressed together. They eventually fall asleep, just barely waking up with time to rush out and get their stands set up for the day.

They trade glances throughout the day. Wicked little grins and winks shared between them until it’s time to pack it in for the day. They go back to Troy’s room again. And again. For the rest of the week that the market is open. Troy promises to consider Nick’s offer to run off with him, and they agree that if he’s willing to that Nick will be waiting for him at the crossroads that lays between the town and Troy’s ranch in three days time.

Troy heads home with the taste of Nick on his lips and a storm raging in his heart on whether to stay home and do his duty, or follow his desires and leave with Nick...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I legit did not intend for this whole chapter to be smut when I started writing. I just had an image of them making out in my head and the muses took over and made me write dirty, dirty things. Totally happy with that because they abandoned me for months. I'll write all the smut they want if they let me write.  
> Nick chapter is all plot and a nice nod to some very important events in the show ;) so please stick around for that! It's worth it, I swear


	3. A Place To Start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the final chapter! (of the first part of the series)  
> .

The sound of Troy’s boots hitting the dirt echoes out through the darkness of the night. The only thing louder is his breathing and the pounding of his heart in his ears. He smells of smoke. Acrid and strong with ash smudged across his forehead, arms, and clothes. There was a fire at the ranch. One of the old-timer’s houses on the outer edge went up like a pile of tinder. He and the others got it out, but all that was left was a husk of a building and the bones of the former occupant inside.

The pack he carries on his back is heavy. Clattering with the supplies he managed to squirrel away over the last few days. It’s not as much as he would have liked to snag, but it just has to get them through to their destination.

Assuming Nick is still waiting for him, that is.

They had agreed to meet at sunset.

That was hours ago.

By the time they got the fire under control, the sun had long since gone down and Troy still had to go back to the house and grab his pack and gear from where he stored. The only good thing to come of the fire was that it provided ample distraction in the aftermath for him to make his exit unnoticed. He wouldn’t be surprised if bit Otto didn’t notice he was gone until sometime the next evening.

The crossroads lies ahead, and he isn’t surprised to see that Nick isn’t standing there as he comes to a stop dead center of the converging paths. “NICK!” he calls out, hoping the other man is sitting off in the shadows waiting for him. “NICK! I’m sorry, I’m late! Nick, are you here!”

He strains his eyes, trying to see into the shadows. The moon is almost full, lighting the road but not really shining through the canopy of the forest, which makes it hard to see much of anything aside from dark outlines of trees. When there’s no sign of the other man, he takes off running in the direction of the town. Maybe Nick went back home. He has to think that Troy decided against going with him. So maybe he went home instead of heading out on his own in the dead of night.

There’s a guard watching the road into Redwick as Troy approaches. He’s tired. Having had to stop running and walk for the last few miles. And he hopes like hell he isn’t stopped right now.

Of course, that’s not his luck.

“You alright?” The guard asks, clearly hearing how labored Troy’s breathing still is and possibly smelling the smoke that lingers on his skin and clothes.

“Yeah, just running late to meet someone,” he says, pointing with one hand to the town ahead as the other adjusts one of the straps of his pack over his shoulder.

“Oh, and who would that be?” The guard crosses his arms over his chest, metal armor clanking as he moves. He sounds skeptical. Like he thinks Troy is up to no good.

“Nick Clark, the Druid-in-training,” Troy explains, shifting a bit anxiously on his feet. He needs to get to Nick’s house. Find him and explain what happened. But all he knows about it is that Nick has a really, really big garden. “Do you know where he lives by any chance? We were supposed to meet on the road this evening, but there was an emergency and I couldn’t make it until now.”

The guard studies him in the low light of the moon a long moment before uncrossing his arm and turning in a clear gesture to let Troy carry on his journey. “He lives by the river to the north-west with his mother and sister. You’ll know the house when you see it.”

“Thank you,” Troy tells him, honestly grateful, before taking off running once again.

The river is on the far side of the town, and it takes him longer than he would like to get to it and find the house.

It’s small but well built. And one side is completely covered in vines with the flowers Nick was selling at the market blossoming all over. Even without them, Troy would have known it was the right place because this isn’t just a garden that surrounded the place, it takes up an entire field worth of space. It’s bigger than the main house at the ranch and their biggest barn combined. He briefly considers knocking at the door, but he remembers that Nick lives with his mother and sister. Whom he intended to leave tonight without a word.

So, carefully making his way through the garden so as not to be seen from the other windows of the house, Troy heads for the single window that is visible among the sprawling vines.

There’s a faint light coming from inside as Troy draws near, and it goes out just as he’s able to look inside, darkening his view. Swallowing hard, Troy raises a hand and knocks on the thin glass lightly. Hoping to high hell that this is Nick’s room and he isn’t about to scare the man’s mother or sister. “Nick,” he calls in a voice just loud enough to carry through the window.

“Troy?” Nick’s voice comes a moment later, not much louder than his own, before a shadow appears at the window. There’s a clock, then the window swings out towards Troy. Nick appears a moment later and he looks down at Troy’s figure where he stands in the shadow of the house. “You’re late,” he says, tone giving away the hurt and anger he’s feeling at thinking he was ditched.

“I know, and I am sorry. Please let me explain,” Troy asks, praying to whatever god is listening that he didn’t fuck up his chance.

The wind picks up, blowing the smell of burnt wood and ash to Nick’s senses. “Why do I smell smoke?”

“That’s why I’m late,” Troy starts, adjusting his pack on his shoulders once again. “There was a fire on the ranch. I had to help put it out before it could burn the whole place to the ground. By the time we got it under control, the sun had already set. I swear I wanted to be there, but I couldn’t just leave when my family could have lost their home.” 

With a sigh, Nick turns away only to re-light the candle he’d put out a moment ago. He holds it up, lighting the room enough to see by. “Get in here,” he tells Troy, waving his free hand in invitation to climb through the window.

There are a few bricks stacked below the sill, old and clearly put there by Nick to allow him to come and go as he pleases.

Once Troy’s inside Nick sets the lit candle on a small desk beside the window and puts his hands on Troy’s shoulders, turning him so the light hits his face, illuminating his ash smudged features. “You look like shit,” he tells him honestly. His hair is damp and clinging to his forehead with sweat, body a bit clammy with it as well. And the soot has started to run with the sweat on his face to make a horrible mess.

“Tell me how you really feel,” Troy says with a snort as he watches Nick look him over.

A beat later Nick puts his hand on Troy’s cheek, right over a smudge of ash. He mutters the spell under his breath that lets him clean away almost any mess he tries it on so far. With a wave of goosebumps, Troy looks as if he just stepped out of the bath. No longer sticky or smelling of smoke and sweat.

“Thanks,” Troy says in a soft voice.

“Yeah, no problem…” Nick replies with a sigh as he turns away and goes to take a seat on the edge of his bed.

Troy follows a beat later and kneels down in front of Nick, to his surprise. “I really am sorry, Nicky. I wanted to be there when we agreed to. But I couldn’t let the ranch burn,” he says honestly.

“Yeah, I know,” Nick says with a tired smile. “Get out of that gear and get into bed. We’ll leave tomorrow.”

Relief washes over him just like the spell Nick had cast a moment before. He grins, reaching out to take Nick’s face in his hands before pulling him into a grateful kiss. When he pulls away a moment later, there’s a small contented smile on Nick’s lips.

By the time he’s out of his militia gear, Nick is already under the blankets, watching Troy with tired eyes. Troy blows the candle out and joins him a moment later and the two fall asleep in each other’s arms within minutes to the sound of each other’s breathing.

~~~~~

When Troy wakes up in the morning, he’s alone. There’s a note on Nick’s pillow reading that he’s just gone out to collect more supplies from his garden before they leave but also instructing him not to go anywhere in case his mom or sister are wandering about the house.

With a yawn he sits up, rubbing his eyes against the brightness flooding in through the window. It’s still early, but the window faces east, meaning it gets first light in the morning. With a huff of a laugh, Troy thinks about how funny that really is given Nick would much rather sleep late into the morning given the chance.

As quietly as he can, Troy gets up and starts to dress for the day.

He’s kneeling by Nick’s bed to tie his boots when the door creaks open behind him. The footsteps are light, and thinking it’s Nick, he doesn’t say anything or pause in lacing his boot. 

He regrets it when there’s a shout, followed by the sound of breaking china and the weight of someone jumping on his back. Followed a split second later the sharp pain of something slicing into his cheek just below his eye.

Troy cries out in pain. He wants to struggle, but whatever sliced into his skin is still there and there’s a tight grip around his throat that gives his attacker leverage against him. If he struggles he could lose his eye. He feels it from the way his skin pulls and the pain pulses through his skull.

“WHO ARE YOU!” The angry voice of an older woman demands loudly.

Troy blinks open his other eye, the one not in danger of being lost, and looks up at a woman with blonde hair and angry eyes.

“T-Troy. My name is Troy,” he stammers, pain making it hard to think let alone talk. The urge to try and fight her off is strong, but the near blinding pain is stronger. 

“Well, Troy, whatever you came to steal wasn’t worth it!” She spits, hand forcing what Troy thinks might be a spoon harder into his face. He can practically feel it scraping the bone of his cheek. Dangerously close to his eye socket.

“I didn’t-” he begins, cut off with another jab of the spoon that makes him cry out in pain once again.

There’s a crashing sound, Nick having climbed through his window so fast that he knocked the contents of his desk to the floor. “MOM! What are you doing!” Nick shouts, posture tense as he holds his hands up like he’s worried his mother might lash out at him next.

“This thief was going through your things,” she insists, hand shifting just a bit, making Troy let out a strangled gasp.

He tries to lean back into her grip, hoping to alleviate the pressure and pain she’s causing.

“He’s not a thief, mom!” Nick looks horrified as he takes a step closer to the two of them.

“What do you mean? I caught him-”

“He was getting dressed!” Nick snaps. “He’s not a thief, he’s my boyfriend!”

To Troy’s relief, Nick’s words seem to shock his mother enough to make her let go of the spoon. It clatters to the wooden floor a second later and Troy doubles over out of her grip, his hands going to his eye. Trying to stop the bleeding as he takes deep breaths against the pain.

“What the hells do you mean, boyfriend!” Madison demands. She’s standing now, posture tense, like she’s ready to lash out at any moment.

Nick is at Troy’s side before Troy has time to process what’s going on. He puts his hands on Troy’s shoulders, steadying him as he rocks a little on his knees. “Exactly that, mom. Boy-friend. A boy that I am romantically and sexually involved with.”

Madison balks at her son’s words. “You’re kidding. This has to be some kind of joke.”

“I’m not kidding! Now get the hell out of my room!” Nick shouts before turning his attention back to Troy.

“I want him gone by the time I get back,” Madison demands. “I’m going to get the town guard and if he’s still here I’ll have them arrest him for trespassing.” With that she storms out, slamming the door to Nick’s room behind her.

Now that they’re alone Nick pulls Troy so that he’s sitting with his back to Nick’s bed. He still has both hands pressing to his eye, blood dripping from between his fingers and around the palm that’s pressing against the wound.

“Hey, it’s alright, just breathe,” Nick says softly as he pulls Troy’s hands from his face. The other man lets out a hiss of pain at the lack of pressure on the already swelling skin. Nick tries to take a look before muttering under his breath. The blood clears from Troy’s clothes and body, only to start dripping from the cut again immediately. “Shit,” Nick utters before reaching under his bed to pull out a pack, not unlike Troy’s.

“Your mother is psycho…” Troy says with a weak chuckle. The action makes the pain in his face worsen, and he brings a hand back up to press against the still bleeding wound once again as Nick digs out what appear to be medical supplies from his pack.

“You have no idea,” Nick mumbles back as he pulls out a jar of some kind of salve that smells of mint, and something horribly herbal smelling Troy can’t name, along with a bandage. He gets the bandage prepped, and with another spell to clear away the blood, he has Troy remove his hand quickly as he applies it.

The salve stings as it hits the cut, making Troy cry out against his will before numbness sets in that has him letting out a shaky breath in relief.

“We need to get out of here, now,” Nick tells him as he quickly repacks his supplies. “She’ll be back any minute and I do not want to be around for that.” He pulls a bow and quiver from under his bed once he’s shouldered his pack and he holds both in one hand as he holds the other out to Troy.

Troy can only nod and let Nick pull him up to stand. He gets his vest and pack on, and with Nick’s help they climb out the window and take off along the river in the direction of the nearest bridge. It’s the opposite direction of the nearest guard post, meaning by the time Madison returns home they’ll have a head start should she or the guards try to follow.

Once they’re off the bridge and into the wood, far from the road, Nick grabs Troy by the hand and starts to run.

Neither is sure for how long they run before they have to stop. Tory’s head is pounding and they’re both hungry and thirsty. So despite the urge to run further, they stop for a short break far from the less used path they’re taking to avoid being seen by any passers-by.

A chuckle escapes Troy as he sits with his back to a tree. He can’t believe what the last few hours have been like. Last few days, even. It feels like some kind of bizarre dream.

“You doing alright over there,” Nick asks from his place a few feet away under another tree.

Looking over to him Troy huffs another laugh. “This wasn’t what I expected when you promised me an adventure.”

That gets Nick to crack a smile of his own. “Hey, at least you’re not bored.”

Snorting, Troy nods before taking a sip of water from his canteen. “What even was that back there?”

“My mom is against me doing anything that isn’t her ideal path for me. She hates that I’m unashamed of liking men. And you should have seen her face when I told her I was kicked out of school,” Nick tells him with a strange little wave of his hands that has Troy mesmerized. “She hates that I’m training to be a Druid. She wanted me to do something _normal_ with my life, like my sister. She’s training to be a Cleric.”

“You definitely don’t strike me as the type to do anything normal,” Troy notes as he lets his head lull back against the tree, looking up into the canopy with his one good eye. His other is completely covered by the bandage Nick used. And he can tell from the way his skin feels against it that he won’t be seeing out of that eye for a while.

Snorting, Nick follows Troy’s lead and looks up into the leaves above. “Yeah, well, she eventually accepted that I’m not meant for that kind of divine bullshit. I have a talent for magic. It just comes from nature and not Palor or any of the other _acceptable deities_. She hates it. She can’t use magic herself, but me and Alicia took after our dad, so we can… I think she’s kind of jealous, to be honest.”

“She should be jealous,” Troy says with a snort. “You’re amazing. If she can’t get over herself and accept you as you are then good riddance.”

Huffing a laugh, Nick shakes his head and glances over at Troy. “Yeah, good riddance.”

“You’re certain this village is the one you’re looking for, right?” Troy can’t help but ask. He’d never heard of Archadia before. Nick said it’s supposed to take about two weeks to reach on foot. That’s a long time to travel with only Nick’s bow and his dagger for protection.

“I visited Celia again the day after you left to make sure, she told me it’s where the other Druids that trained with her are living now. They’ll teach me for a while and you can study with the Fighters guild in the meantime,” Nick explains as he finally moves to stand back up. “And best of all, we’ll be on our own. Just the two of us against the world.” He holds his hand out, offering it to Troy.

Taking it, Troy lets himself be pulled to his feet. Nick is smiling at him, reassuring in a way that Troy isn’t used to. “Yeah, I like the sound of that,” he confessed with a small smile of his own. “Let’s go, we’re burning daylight.”

Huffing a laugh, Nick nods and they gather their gear before heading off together.

~~~~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think? Be honest with me here?
> 
> The map is only a section of a much bigger one. The Full Map can be found on my writing blog for anyone that's curious. Redwick is where Nick and Troy meet. Archadia is where they are headed, and Damerrel is where the next part of the story takes place.

**Author's Note:**

> What do you think? I'd love to hear from anyone reading this.  
> You can follow me on [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/TrickyHannigram) for more fandom related fun!
> 
> Or you can also follow me on [ Twitch](https://www.twitch.tv/enbystiles) for weekly writing and gaming streams.


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